By: Cate Casparius ’19

After the final school bell of the year rings, students will rush off to their fun summer plans, which may include attending a music festival where they can eat delicious food, soak up the sun and listen to great music. Here’s a guide to the best festivals to check out this summer.
This year’s Summerfest in Milwaukee is currently one of the longest running music festivals in the world and will run from June 28-July 2 and again on July 4-9. Some performers attending this festival are Flume, Luke Bryan, the Chainsmokers, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Zac Brown Band and Pink.
Later in the summer is Panorama. Panorama will run from July 28-30 and will be held at Randall’s Island Park, NYC. This location is an urban park, located right of East Harlem, and can be reached by ferry or by driving over Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. Headliners include Frank Ocean, Nine Inch Nails and Tame Impala.
James Bjorkman ’18 has attended Panorama and really enjoyed the experience. “Last year I had a really good time. The setup/stages were amazing [and] the artists like Kendrick Lamar and Anderson Paak were awesome live so I thought why not have that great experience again,” Bjorkman said.
Another popular festival is Lollapalooza in Grant Park Chicago, Illinois. Like all of the others, it has a great line up and amazing food stands. The festival will feature artists such as Lorde, Migos and Wiz Khalifa. Lolla’s food aspect of the festival calls itself Chow Town. According the the website, it “offers the most delicious festival food, drinks and sweets from the Windy City’s favorite restaurants.” The festival will run from August 3-6.
Ella Sunshine ’19 moved from Chicago a few years ago and commented on the event. “I think it’s going to be super fun and I love going back to Chicago and seeing old friends,” Sunshine said. She is specifically looking forward to seeing Chance, Lorde and Lil Uzi up on stage.
The Afropunk Festival will finish off the summer on Saturday, August 26 and Sunday, August 27 at Brooklyn’s Commodore Barry Park, NY. The festival has an inexpensive entry fee compared to other festival tickets. This festival celebrates multicultural arts by hosting “groundbreaking icons and emerging talents,” as mentioned on the official festival site. The New York Times described this event as “the most multicultural festival in the US.”